Protan obtained in court the suspension of the environmental agency’s decision halting the company’s activity for 30 days in the unit in Popesti Leordeni, near capital city Bucharest.
The Bucharest Court sustained Thursday the request for suspension formulated by the company SC Protan SA, pending the final solution of the case. In addition, the company challenged in court a memo of the environmental agency which suspended the environmental license held by Protan Popesti Leordeni. A court decision is pending in the matter.
On October 2, the environmental agency informed SC Protan SA that several due investments were not unfolded, even though the company had requested the revision of the environment authorization, in accordance with article 25 of Government Emergency Ordinance 152/2005 approved through Law 84/2006.
Romanian non-hazardous waste collector Protan SA (PRON.RO) said will halt operations in all eight branches countrywide as of Monday, to protest against non-payment of over EUR4 million owed subsidies, most Thursday dailies report.
“We can talk about an ecologic disaster in the upcoming period,” Protan’s general manager Cristina Miu said. She mentioned Romania has no other companies able to replace Protan.
Miu said the Ministry of Agriculture owes Protan over EUR4 million. At the same time, the Justice Ministry is threatening to freeze the company’s accounts over non-payment of taxes worth EUR1 million.
“Basically, the state is taxing us for money it does not pay,” Miu said.
Romanian meat and milk processors said they will have to shut down plants unless Protan reconsiders its decision, because they will not be able to process related animal waste.
Romanian agriculture minister Dacian Ciolos said Protan won’t halt its activity in all eight branches nationwide to protest against the non-payment of over EUR4 million owed subsidies, as the company still has to observe its contract.
The ministry is in talks with the company to clarify the matter of the subsidies the ministry has to pay.
“Protan is still under contract with the Agency of State Domains, which stipulates some obligations and makes it harder to close the business abruptly. We had talks on subsidies with Protan yesterday, and we will continue them until the end of the week to clarify the situation, so that the company won’t stop its activity,” Ciols said.
He added the issue of subsidies will be solved by the end of the week, but the company is forced by the contract’s terms to continue its activity.
"The stipulations in the contract with Protan are clear and do not allow them to halt activity just like that. They must go on for another 90 days if the contract is terminated. I hope we don’t get to that point. (…) We are having talks on subsidies, we will pay those we must and explain why we do not pay the others,” Ciolos said.
The announcement made by Protan is a “form of blackmail”, Ciolos added.